ETD: 908 Poor Site Planning; It's Another; Luxury Tabletop
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post at gapent.com
Mon Aug 1 21:47:48 GMT 2005
E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0908 August 2, 2005
George Matyjewicz, Moderator mailto:georgem at gapent.com
Published by: GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.etailersdigest.com
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CONTENTS
[1] Greetings
[2] Poor Site Planning
[3] It's Another
[4] Luxury Tabletop
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[1] Greetings.
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Hi All:
We're working pro-bono with a not-for-profit and analyzed their site. They
love it, and we looked at it from a marketing point of view and have a lot
of issues. I wonder how many companies have the same issues?
List members Quinn Halford and Matthew Kalash report on a new organization
for Independent Retailers called "It's Another..." which is a great
name. Read about it in section 3 below.
Pam Danziger has information on the new luxury tabletop market. If you
sell in that space, you need to learn more.
Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.
Sincerely
George Matyjewicz, PhD
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, Ltd.
mailto:georgem at gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com
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[2] Poor Site Planning
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I'm doing some pro-bono work with a not-for-profit and started analyzing
their site. Interesting to note how poorly designed the site is from a
marketing point of view. They developed the site with a lot of
JavaScript. In fact the home page has not content at all. Rather it is
JavaScript with a nice image that brings in the message.
(http://partnersintorah.org/)
I demonstrated the problem with the site to the National Director by keying
in the site into Google. What came back was the text used for the
navigation at the top and side, which is a total waste.
I also tried to explain how search engines don't like JavaScript. The
search engine spiders cannot read Javascript, can get hung up, and can
possibly leave your site. Search engines like pages that have actual body
content as close to the top of the source code as possible.
Most developers place the JavaScript codes at the beginning of the HTML
file, between the <HEAD> and </HEAD> section of the file. Irrespective of
the length of the code it's always preferred there. In reality, this
placement of the JavaScript code is just a customary practice rather than a
rule.
If the code is very complex, the search engines may leave the page alone
all together. Search engines do not spider the JavaScript codes. As soon as
they find the <SCRIPT> tag they stop spidering. They resume their job again
once they get the </SCRIPT> tag.
If you have to use JavaScript, there are a couple of simple remedies.
1. A possible solution is to place the JavaScript code at the bottom of
the page, so the important content is at the top of the page.
2. Place the script contents into an external .js file to avoid impacting
your search engine ranking. Here's how: In your HTML page between the
<Head> tags, simply include a reference to the remote .js file like this:
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript" SRC="externalfile.js" ></script>
Then simply place your JavaScript code in the file called externalfile.js.
The best way to show the problems is to search for the site, or to analyze
the logs.
George
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[3] It's Another
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A new association for independent retailers called It’s Another (“If it’s
not one thing, it’s another
”) has been established by Mary Liz Curtin and
Ryp Walters. Debuting at the Dallas Super Market last month, It’s Another
will be “a forum for education, networking, and sharing knowledge and
experience,” according to its mission statement. Curtin is an industry
speaker, writer, consultant, and retailer about to open a new store in
Clawson, MI. Walters is the founder of web developer OverCoffee
Productions. Membership to It’s Another is free, and the organization will
host a networking event during the New York International Gift Fair,
Tuesday, August 16, 8 to 9:30 a.m., in the Javits Convention Center.
www.itsanother.org.
Quinn Halford, Editor In Chief
Matthew Kalash, Managing Edito
Gift & Dec Direct
www.giftanddec.com.
+++ [Moderator's Comments] +++
What a great name for the association! I can just picture how it developed
- a couple of people sitting around lamenting how retailing has been hurt
by the big box stores, and how they are suffering with high costs, and lack
of business, and... "If it's not one thing, it's another!" And the group
was born.
That was the actual story of an old client of mine. Four local lumber yard
owners were sitting in a bar crying about how 84 Lumber (the chain before
Home Depot) was coming in to the area, and selling goods cheaper than what
these guys could buy it. They complained - "Every Needs A Profit..
however..." They decided to form a buying cooperative and named it
ENAP. That was 25+ years ago. They are still going strong today.
We developed the software for them, matching purchases with payments and
sharing by each member. They took orders from members to purchase goods,
and accumulated those orders into one big order, which would be shared (and
paid for) among those ordering. When the bill comes in, it is
automatically distributed among the members based on their purchases.
That was a way for them to compete against the big guys, which apparently
is still working.
George
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[4] Luxury Tabletop
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In mergers and acquisition circles tabletop companies are getting a lot of
scrutiny these days. Lifetime Brands, which markets housewares brands
Farberware, KitchenAid, Cuisinart, Hoffritz and others, recently agreed to
acquire casual dinnerware leader The Pfaltzgraff Company. Venerable
Waterford Wedgwood, crystal and china brand in the luxury arena, bought up
dinnerware and collectibles rival Royal Doulton. And Lenox, the nation's
leading brand of tabletop dinnerware, was just acquired by Department 56.
These shifts highlight major changes afoot in the tabletop market as
affluent consumers pick up their spending on dinnerware, but not
necessarily in the luxury end, but toward ‘casual luxury’ that they use and
enjoy, not store away in cabinets and hutches.
Tabletop Has Been a Slow Growth Market but with Lots of Growth Potential
for Companies that Tap into the New Dining Experience
Traditionally, the tabletop market has been one characterized by steady,
but slow market growth. But as the consumer market is turning more
experiential and people hanker after new experiences to indulge in, a need
for new tabletop goods that enhance their home dining experiences is on the
rise, particularly among the luxury consumers.
From 2000 to 2004, roughly 15-17 percent of consumers purchased some
products in the tabletop category, according to Unity Marketing’s research
published in the Home Report 2004. But in Unity Marketing’s luxury
surveys, the overall purchase incidence of ‘luxury’ tabletop reached 24
percent in 2004, up from 19 percent in 2003. These findings indicate the
tabletop market is growing faster among luxury consumers, i.e. those with
household incomes at the top 25 percent of U.S. households (incomes $75,000
and above).
‘New Luxury’ Is about the Experience, not the Thing
Just because the tabletop market is growing faster among luxury consumers,
that DOESN’T mean they are necessarily buying ‘luxury’ tabletop. Quite the
contrary, with the new luxury consumers’ emphasis on experience, they are
attracted to new types and brands of tableware products that offer new
experiential attributes besides those found only in fine bone china and
lead crystal.
For example, Pier 1, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and many others have
found a thriving market niche offering seasonal, casual dinnerware to use
today then pass along. For $100 to $200 one can set a party table with
creative, designer-look and fully coordinating dishes, glasses, serving
dishes, linens, centerpieces, and all the rest that are designed to enhance
the moment and are strictly for the here-and-now. This is dinnerware to
use once, twice, maybe three times than toss it out or recycle it through
the local charity. It is fun, frivolous and total luxury — the equivalent
of paper plates and cups for the luxury set.
Clearly some luxury consumers buy into the luxury fine dining paradigm when
they want to set their tables only with bone china place settings that go
for $500 on up, but more and more luxury consumers with the means to spend
that kind of money simply refuse to do so. They opt instead for a more
liveable, experiential option. They are not interested in buying dinnerware
to live with forever, but in designs they can enjoy for a season and be
done with it.
Their focus is fashion, fun, casual and affordable. The new luxury
consumers luxuriate in change and breaking out of the mold. Too much of the
fine tabletop market today is frigid formality, and not enough is casual
luxury.
New Marketing Opportunities Arise As Consumers' Behavior Changes
Along with a trend toward new casual tabletop comes a shift in where
consumers shop for and buy tabletop. As department stores lose shoppers to
specialty home furnishing chains, discounters, internet and other sources,
the leading tabletop brands are finding the ‘doors’ they have used to reach
their target market closing. They struggle with young brides who eschew
registering for fine dinnerware, sterling silver and crystal stemware in
favor of everyday casual patterns from retailers like Crate and Barrel.
Tabletop marketers and traditional retailers need to assess the impacts of
the new shopping patterns and develop strategies to meet the new shopper in
her new destinations.
Unity Marketing Is Undertaking a Major Consumer Research Study on the New
Tabletop Market
This research study will focus on consumers who recently purchased one or
more of the key tabletop categories: Upstairs and downstairs dinnerware,
sterling and stainless flatware, crystal and glassware and other tabletop
accessories, such as tabletop linens, serving pieces, and others. It will
reveal who buys these items, what kinds they buy, how much they spend on
their tabletop purchases, and how they use, display and store these items.
Along with researching consumers’ purchase behavior, the study will focus
on why people buy these products, what psychological and emotional needs
they fulfill and how they use tabletop products in their lives for everyday
dining, casual and formal entertaining.
In addition it will investigate what brands of tabletop they are familiar
with and what brands they actually buy. Both brand awareness and usage for
all tabletop product categories will be a subject of research.
With the focus on the consumer, their needs, desires and preferences, Unity
Marketing's research study will include focus groups to find out what
issues are of prime importance when shopping for and buying fine and casual
tabletop and a quantitative research survey among 750-to-1,000 recent
buyers to understand their tabletop purchase behavior, spending, shopping
patterns and brand preferences.
If you are interested in participating in the new tabletop research project
or learning more about the opportunity, please call me at 717-336-1600,
complete the request form for more information or respond by email to
pam at unitymarketingonline.com right away. Please respond by August 31, 2005
if you are interested in participating.
Pam Danziger,
President
Unity Marketing
www.unitymarketingonline.com
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